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It's called True Music Festival, and the folks behind it are none other than MCP. The festival grounds are situated on a 140-acre site, Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, also known as the Major League Baseball spring training facility home for the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies. Although not much info has been released on the one day show, when the Internet first got wind that Arizona would be holding a winter festival, it was known to be focused strongly on the music. Two days ago the first round of performers were announced, and they weren't kidding when they said multi-genre, and it is a beautiful thing.

To wet your whistles MCP has officially announced:
Bassnectar, The Flaming Lips, Wiz Khalifa, Capital Cities and Lord Huron. That's right, you have the beholder of EDM, Grammy winners and ultimate showmen The Flaming Lips, hip hop game changer Wiz Khalifa, and then throw some different styles of rock in there and already there is serious potential for an incredible show. I've learned over many shows that by mixing genres that flow into one another, that have grown through influence of the other, brings a whole new dimension to the festival itself.

Being an MCP production, there is also sure to be live art installations, awesome vendors, as well as plenty of surprises. That is from their side, let's not forget ourselves, the festival goers. There is never a shortage of entertainment at these shows! These guys really care about the events they do. They have even included a section on their website called 'Be True!' giving the basics on how to insure you have a great time. It's a simple read, and very true.

Buy your tickets now before prices start going up! It's still in the Early-bird stages, so save yourself some cash! There are also VIP tickets available, more details will be released on them soon.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

For twelve years now, The Disco Biscuits have been leaving us with our jaws in the mud with nothing on our lips but the word, "wow". Each year gets bigger, and with it's increased popularity, Camp Bisco is a place for an eclectic group of young adults to get together and rage.

With so many years doing this gig, the folks over at MCP have put in an abundance of thought on how to run the show. Not only who's coming out to drop massive bass attacks and smooth riffs, but also to insure a safe diverse playground for all festival goers. One massive change this year was the layout of the camp grounds. Things felt much easier to get to (minus the Silent Bisco stage) and it felt as if camping itself was more organized. This is important when putting up tents for tens of thousands of people, not including RVs, car parking, vendors, stages, room for emergency vehicles, and easy trekking for all those on foot. All of the main stages (2 main stages, the label tent, and the B.I.G. Tent) were in the same area, along with a large majority of the food and craft vendors. This was a good thing because walking to this area was not a pain in the ass and it was pretty much central to everything on the map.

Now, let's get into all the festival goodies. In my opinion, there are two factors to any festival that will make it the best time. One is that the festival itself is not just a place to be, but a place to be a part of. The second factor is that the people attending the festival are there to be a part of the festival. It is literally a community popping up for close to a week. Where you live and who your neighbors can really make a difference in your weekend. In Camp Bisco's case, both these factors were met at high standards. There were plenty of activities to be a part of, both scheduled and found adventures. From the amazing art installations to the variety of workshops, there was almost always something to do... even if it wasn't planned. There are so many skilled artists that attend this festival, and many of whom share pieces of themselves at camp. Which brings up the second factor.

The people are unbelievably awesome. It felt as though everyone was happy all the time. The overall energy is leaning towards movement and party, and the people contributing the energy are from all different backgrounds. Some are there from states as far as California, and different countries as well. There's a mix of artists, spiritualists, political activists, ragers, dancers, cooks, poets, accountants, entrepreneurs... pretty much anyone you can think of. This diversity really makes up for a large part of Camp. The chances of anyone making a walk around the camp site not finding something to be a part of is... none.

The festival itself boasts a huge ferris wheel, tons of food and general vendors, hundreds of lasers, epic art installations, and great performances. A few memorable sets from the weekend included Bassnectar, Space Jesus, Schlang, Lotus, Break Science, Destroid, and the final set for the Disco Biscuits. These are just a few personal favorites, but trust the list goes on. All the night time and indoor sets included some wild visuals, including projections and dancers in wild costumes.

All in all, Camp Bisco has been an amazing experience for us here at Electric Ghost Punk. All the events that MCP puts on are very professional and 9.5-10 guaranteed good times, just leave your drama at home. Keep your eyes out for more of MCP's events as they pop up all over the country.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Last weekend marked the 44th anniversary of Woodstock, in a sense foreshadowing that the second annual Peach Music Festival was going to be a weekend to remember. Housed on the majestic Montage Mountain, Scranton PA, the Peach Music Festival invited guests from all over the country and the world to witness and partake in the coming together of the East and West coast tribes of the Allman Brothers Band and The Grateful Dead. Stepping onto festival grounds meant you were going to have an amazing time.

From the conception of this website, the focus was on how the current culture behind Electronic Music thrived. As we continued deeper into different genres and artists from around the world, I noticed that the instrumental styles were the ones popping out mostly to me. From dubstep breakdowns to long psytrance journeys, we have to consider where the ideas come from for producing this type of music. You can go back pretty far with classical and folk music, but the genre that really revolutionized music today's day and age was Rock 'n Roll. Jam Bands spawned from that, producing a whole new sound with a totally different attitude. This wasn't just music though, this is an entire culture as well, one that many people consider another great tribe of the world. After seeing how many people came out to The Peach Music Festival, I believe every word of it.

The lineup for the festival included a whole bunch of all stars as well as local talent. Bands included The Allman Brothers Band, Galactic, Bob Weir and Ratdog, Miz, Tauk, Grace Potter and The Nocturnals, Cabinet, Dopapod, Lotus, Floodwood, and The Black Crowes to name a few. The styles of music ranged from blues and rock to electronic jam and bluegrass. All the music came with a deeper sense of feeling and soul, and of course that sense of community. People were checking out different sets making sure it the stages never felt empty, especially during Ratdog and The Allman Brother's sets. Both bands played one before the other for both Friday night and Saturday night as well.

For me personally, seeing them perform blew me away. The sets were so heartfelt there were times which I couldn't contain tears from coming down my face. I wasn't sure if it was the soulful music they were playing, or the words resonating inside of me. Whatever it was, the overall feeling was that in that moment, right in front of me were some of the most legendary musicians of this time performing the music of their time not only for myself and the crowd, but for all of their friends they made along the way. It made me realize that The Grateful Dead and Allman Brother's Band are two examples of music that will never be forgotten. Already it has resonated and found a home inside of me, and it's only been one show.

I was also privileged to be able to sit down with a very talented group of young musicians native to my hometown area of Long Island, New York. The band Tauk opened up the main stage on Friday afternoon with an explosive set. Playing tracks off their newest album Homunculus, they had members of the audience out of their seats and dancing with their awesome mix of styles. Their sound ranges from jazz to rock to jamming out, it is an electronic fusion that stands on it's own. They started the set a little earlier than the set time, which actually allowed them to squeeze in a very memorable version of the Beatles, "I Want You". The interview with the NY quartet will be up within the week.

The music was definitely the main attraction, but by no means the only one. Montage Mountain is home to a small water park that is part of the ticket price for the weekend. The park included water slides, a lazy river and a wave pool. The lazy river and wave pool are right next to the Mushroom Stage, adding an extra element of fun while catching awesome tunes. There was also a ski lift operating taking people up to the top of the mountain where you could go zip-lining. There were also many craft vendors and food vendors, minus too many of the over commercialized ones. There were only a few 'carnival' food vendors and mostly original food vendors as well as original craft vendors. It's always a pleasure to wake up with a solar blast smoothie and a dozen freshly made donuts. There was even the option at Peach Fest to buy fresh produce, that was something new!

In order for a festival to be truly wonderful, it needs to attract the right people. I've never felt more comfortable and right with everyone there. From the moment we arrived on festival grounds, there were so many good vibes in the air it felt like you could float in them. Anyone that looked like they needed a hand with their luggage got one, thirsty people were getting water bottles, folks without tickets were getting gifted in, and there wasn't a single person not wearing a smile. The grounds were family friendly, with families camped out all over the slopes and not exclusively in family camping (a camping area with a quite time). And best of all was that there were people of all ages and generations sharing this experience together. While there, I connected with people young enough to be my nieces and nephews, old enough to be my parents and kids the same age as me. A majority of these people were accepting, loving and wanted nothing more than to spend time with someone that would like to spend time with them. It felt like home.

The only thing that anyone complained about was the sleeping on slopes with rocks, as well as the security checkpoint both in and out of the main stage, the Toyota Pavilion. It was their job to insure that all patrons not only had their wristbands (paid entry), but also to insure that all alcoholic beverages were fully consumed before entering the grounds. This is pretty standard procedure at any major venue, but the weird part was they made people finish their drinks or toss them on the way out as well. Although a minor nuisance, it was something that people didn't really want to deal with. All in all, security was very professional and nice, and only wanted to have a good time with everyone there.

This weekend officially turned me onto my hippie side. I don't think I'd be able to follow these guys (Ratdog, Further, Allman Brothers, etc) around on a full tour, but I would never pass up the opportunity to sit down with them again. With the second year of the Peach Music Festival being so successful, I cannot wait to see what next year will bring. This festival has a very very special place in my heart.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

I remember so many times when meeting someone new and asking what kind of music they listen to, they would reply, "Anything but country", or "Only Top 40". Well, not really the second one, but the point is how people would take a genre and completely neg it from their playlists and attention. As we continue moving forward with time, music is constantly changing. In today's world, there in almost no way to avoid hearing Electronic Dance Music, and in most cases it's received with flying colors from the listeners, or at least without complaints.

I began noticing this right a couple months after my introduction to the rave scene. Sure going to parties on the weekends influences my musical listening base, but it also made me more keen on picking out when I'm listening to EDM. The first time I realized how much the media bombards the general public with EDM was in early January while watching TV and a commercial came on for a movie called Red Tails. This movie recounts the story of the Tuskegee Airmen back during WWII. As I was watching the commercial, something threw me for a loop. I quickly realized that I was way too excited for this movie, I was actually kind of dancing to it. It's because the song was one I danced to often at parties, Knife Party's Remix of Porter Robinson's track, Unison.

Now you can't turn on the radio without hearing influences of EDM in every genre. Listening to pop music? Pay attention for the short dubstep breakdowns. Rap? Try Trap. And now you can add country to that list as well. DJ/Producer Dee Jay Silver released an album called Country Club, featuring artists like Carrie Underwood and Love and Theft combined with EDM twists. The result? People dancing more to country music.

As we continue to accept EDM into our daily lives, we also find as mass of sub-genres. This is only proof that the music is evolving, and is here to stay for a while. I truly believe that in 100 years from now, producers of today will be the legendary musicians of that time. Until my prediction comes to light, enjoy some out of this world beats!

Friday, August 2, 2013

We're ready to get down at the Peach Music Festival! The more listening and reading we do into the acts coming to the Peach Music Festival, the more excited we are. There are acts coming out from all over the country, and that play all different blends of genres of music. One group that will be an absolute joy to see and get funky to, is Galactic.

Formed in 1996, Galactic has been keeping that funky-soulful vibe to this very day. With the flow of a band jamming out and a beautiful mix and progression of sounds, Galactic was made to make you dance and groove. The band is local to New Orleans, which makes sense with so many of their beats being so sultry and spicy. With so many different influences coming to the table from hip hop, electronic, world music, to rock, blues and jazz, these eclectic sounds mix together and really feed the soul.

Make sure you check out Galactic at the Peach Music Festival, August 15-18. Get your tickets HERE.